Volume 10 Issue 4 | April 2022 |
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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT |
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Some exciting news! We are pleased to announce that Gino Cavallini is now the Chair of the Tier 1 Committee. He is an excellent choice and brings years of experience with him. He has appointed Dan Gallagher to serve on the committee.
With Mike Mullally retiring, Chris Naveja has been appointed to fill his term.
We hope to serve you better as we constantly try to improve your hockey experience.
Kevin Bolger
President
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AHAI ANNUAL MEETING & LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE |
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Attention Affiliate Club and League Presidents: 2022 AHAI Annual Meeting Notification Letter
The 2022 Annual Meeting of the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois, Inc. (AHAI) will take place virtually on Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 8:30 a.m. The event will be held at the The Westin Chicago Northwest, 400 Park Blvd., Itasca, IL 60143. Further information regarding the Annual Meeting schedule will be distributed to Affiliate Presidents.
Any individual who wishes to submit their name as a candidate for the position as a Board of Director of AHAI must submit their name, in writing, to the Chairperson of the Nominating Committee, Anita Lichterman at girls@ahai2.org no later than Sunday, May 8, 2022. A short biography stating the individual's background, hockey experience, etc. should be included. The Nominating Committee will then send to each Affiliate a list of all the candidates and their biographies prior to the AHAI Annual Meeting in accordance with the By-Laws, Rules and Regulations (Interim Rule C: 7.0.3.2). Any individual who wishes to submit a new By-Law proposal or make a change to an existing By-Law must submit their proposal(s), in writing, to the President of AHAI, Kevin Bolger at president@ahai2.org, no later than Thursday, May 5, 2022. Thank you for all your help and cooperation in the furtherance of youth hockey in Illinois. - AHAI Board of Directors
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2022 America's Showcase
By Ross Forman
Illinois will be represented better than ever at the annual America’s Showcase St. Louis, set for April 21-25, and hosted by Missouri Hockey in conjunction with the Midstates Club Hockey Association.
There will be two Illinois boys’ teams competing in the field of 16 and two Illinois girls’ teams competing in the field of eight.
“Having two teams is a great blessing for Illinois,” said AHAI’s Mike Mullally. “We will have 40 boys of 4,000 Illinois high school players who now have the chance to skate in front of 100-plus scouts,” from multiple collegiate leagues and teams, plus junior leagues, teams and more.
America’s Showcase was founded in 1985 – in Illinois – to provide the nation’s premier high school players an opportunity to be scouted by high-level programs so those players may further their hockey careers in prep school, juniors, college, and beyond.
In 2009, the 25th and final year of the Chicago Showcase was held locally. In 2010, the event moved to Pittsburgh and was renamed America's Showcase. The girls' division was added in 2013.
In 2018, the event moved to St. Louis and was renamed America's Showcase St. Louis.
The event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Cam Schneider, Showcase Forward from Stevenson |
Sebastian Wigfield, Showcase Goalie from St. Ignatius |
Jonathan Adler, Showcase Goalie from Stevenson |
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America's Showcase Final Rosters
The Illinois High School Showcase Teams will compete in the 2022 America’s Showcase April 20 - 25, 2022 in St. Louis, Missouri. We wish them all the Best of Luck!
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ILLINOIS HOCKEY HALL OF FAME |
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Join Us for the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony!
Illinois hockey has a very long and rich hockey history, due in large part, to the foundation laid down by these inductees. Their tireless dedication in making sure every individual who had a desire to participate in this great sport has had the opportunity to do so.
The Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame recently announced the 17th class of inductees into its Hall of Fame. The honored inductees this year are:
Coach’s Category — Tony Cachey / Jon Grzbek
Builder’s Category — Joe Modrich / Jack Weinberg
Referee Category — Bill Fehrman
The Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame previously announced the 16th class of inductees into its Hall of Fame. The honored inductees last year were:
Player’s Category — Kendall Coyne / Grant Mulvey
Coach’s Category — Bob Graham / Mike Svac
Builder’s Category — Paul Jakubowski / Jim McKeague / JJ O’Connor
Officials Category — Larry Swakon / D Ray Tucker
Covid-19 prevented the conducting the Induction Ceremony for the Class of 2020 so they will be inducted along with the Class of 2021 this year.
The IHHF Induction Dinner will be held in their honor on Sunday, May 1, 2022 at the Belvedere Banquet Hall located at 1170 West Devon Avenue in Elk Grove Village beginning at 5:00 pm.
Joining in honoring this special group of inductees will be several of the past inductees into the Hall of Fame. This year’s inductees, and all of the past inductees have demonstrated, through their actions over the years, their personal commitment in making a difference in the lives of thousands of Illinois youth and the Illinois hockey community.
The mission statement of the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame is as follows:
“To honor the excellence of those individuals who, through their exceptional endeavors both on and off the ice, have contributed in an extraordinary way to enhance the sport and image of hockey in Illinois.”
On behalf of everyone involved in the game of hockey, we admire and thank each of the inductees into the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2020 & 2021.
They truly are in a class of their own.
We hope you will be available to join us at the Induction Ceremony on May 1, 2022.
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USA HOCKEY NATIONAL CHAMPIONS |
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ILLINOIS HOCKEY HEADLINES |
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Illinois' Players Win NCAA National Championship |
Congratulations to Sean Behrens of Barrington, IL and Jack Devine of Glencoe, IL on winning the NCAA National Championship with the University of Denver. Sean and Jack both played for Chicago Mission before moving on to the U.S. National Development team and then the University of Denver. We wish them great success in their future hockey careers! |
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The schedules for Tier I Youth, Girls & Midgets have been announced. Please click here to view schedule. Good luck, players!!!
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JOG College Showcase
The 2022 JOG College Showcase will take place at Fifth Third Arena, Chicago IL, April 29th- May 1st. This showcase highlights the talent of local and regional players ranging for both Men and Women. The goal of this event is to educate and create an opportunity for players to showcase their talents in front of top College programs from across the country.
On the ice, players will compete in one practice led by NCAA D3 and ACHA coaches and three games to showcase their skill and gain exposure. Off the ice, players and parents are encouraged to attend our one of a kind recruiting & coaching panel. This panel is a great platform for individuals to learn about the attending school’s programs and admission requirements, as well as what it takes to be a successful student athlete.
Registration for the event is now open. Please click on the link below to register for the Men’s or Women’s Showcase. The cost for the showcase is $300.
For registration and information on the showcase:
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Men's & Women's 2022 AHAI Adult State Championship Tournament
By Robert Fiorio, Adult State Tournament Director
The Amateur Hockey Association Illinois, Inc. is proud to present the 2022 AHAI Adult State Championship Tournament hosted by the AHAI Adult Committee and The Edge Ice Arena. The Adult State Tournament will take place April 28 - May 1, 2022 with all Championship Games taking place on Sunday, May 1 st at The Edge. For more information click here. |
2022 IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship
The 2022 IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship will take place in Kaufbeuren and Landshut, Germany, from April 23-May 1, 2022. The tournament will take place in the Erdgas Schwaben Arena and Stadtische Eissportanlange Landshut.
The U.S. will compete in Group A alongside Canada, Czechia and Germany, while Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and Latvia will compete in Group B.
See the roster and tournament schedule here.
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2022 IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championship
The 2022 IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championship will take place June 6-13, 2022, in Madison, Wis. LaBahn Arena, the state-of-the-art home of the University of Wisconsin women’s ice hockey team, and Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena, home of the USHL’s Madison Capitols, will serve as host venues for the competition.
See the roster and tournament schedule here.
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CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS SUMMER CAMPS |
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2022 Blackhawks Summer Hockey Camps are OPEN for registration! |
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JUNE 10-12
SHOWTIME SUMMER
CLASSIC
Blackhawks Tournaments presents the Showtime Summer Classic! Running from June 10-12, 2022, the Showtime Summer Classic will host three divisions -- 2012 AA, 2011 AA Boys and 12U Girls AA-level teams -- at Fifth Third Arena, the official practice facility of the Chicago Blackhawks.
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Chicago Blackhawks Summer Camps are back for 2022! Camps will be held at the Chicago Blackhawks practice facility, Fifth Third Arena, and Mt. Prospect Ice Arena. All of our camps will feature experienced and highly skilled coaches, including Blackhawks alumni, to help your child learn from the very best in the business.
Dates and Locations:
July 11-15 at Mt. Prospect Ice Arena
July 18-22 at Fifth Third Arena
July 25-29 at Fifth Third Arena
August 8-12 at Mt. Prospect Ice Arena
We can’t wait to see you there, click below to learn more and register today!
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JUNE 24-26
BREAKING BARRIERS TOURNAMENT
Blackhawks Tournaments presents the Breaking Barriers Tournament! Running from June 24-26, 2022, the Breaking Barriers Tournament will host three adult women's divisions -- Beginner - level 4/5, Intermediate – levels 5/6 and Intermediate/Advanced – levels 8+ -- at Fifth Third Arena, the official practice facility of the Chicago Blackhawks.
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GOLDEN COYNES
Registration for Golden Coynes coming soon. This is a five-week development program designed for female hockey players, as a next step to a learn to play program, designed for ages 6-12. This program is focused on the basic elements of skating and game play.
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ILLINOIS HOCKEY HALL OF FAME BIO SERIES |
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D. Ray Tucker, Referee Category
Believe it or not, Ray did not even begin skating until age 13, when he dove into the sport as a new player on an established team. Although countless mistakes were made, Ray made a point to not make the same mistake twice, and by his senior year, he was voted team captain by his teammates.
During those formative years, Ray would operate the scoreboard at the University of Illinois Ice Arena (“the big pond”) for youth and Illini college club games. He soon made off-ice connections with luminaries such as John Cerza, Matt Nilles, Ken Michel, Don Olynyk, Jon Raslawski and Jay Jacobs, officials who demonstrated a zeal for their craft through high expectations, supreme effort and a desire to have a great time along the way.
This exposure kindled a strong desire to join the referee community. The fall of 1988 was the first year Ray followed these impassioned role models and earned his level one USA Hockey license. A willingness to work any game offered, seek out seasonal promotion and exhibit a strong desire to “climb the ladder” by working the next level – these traits all fueled Ray’s efforts.
That passion to grow as an official blossomed into other sports in which Ray remains active to this day (football, baseball, and lacrosse). Many invitations to work minor professional and post-season games came to pass, but it was the opportunity to take over Champaign’s referee assigning responsibilities in 1994 that began to cement the idea of giving back to the sport by recruiting, mentoring and shepherding new officials.
One of Ray’s favorite pieces of advice is, “Make new and exciting mistakes.” In other words, learn from your errors while applying those new lessons learned.
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